The DBWF Provisional Post is the news source for the Dominion of British West Florida. With news from local communities, subjects, the internet, and Government LeadersThe Provisional Post is the community's Newspaper of Record.

Monday, November 27, 2006

The Dominion of British West Florida's Pensacola Provisional Theatre has announced the inclusion of new Patriotic Video 'Pittance of Time' in its 'Regular Features' section.

The video is dedicated to those who have served in the Wars of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth, from World War I to Afghanistan. The Video tells dramatically, in the words of the song, and the images on the screen of the heroism of our 'Boys and Girls', and of the 'rehabilitation' of one self centered consumer in a small town store.

The story line of the video is a young girl, and her father in a store when 11 O'clock comes 'round on 11 November. The young girl, and all the others in the store, bow their heads in silient recollection, but the father, a self-centered consumer does not. As the video runs its course, the father slowly begins to appreciate the momement, and at the end, bows his head too.

A very moving story, and 'Must See' video.

The video is based on, and contains the song of the same title, written by Terry Kelly, published by Jefter Publishing.

Friday, November 24, 2006

The Government of the Dominion of British West Florida would like to remind the Peoples of North America that The Crown continues to Honour its Obligations.

Wednesday, 22 November 2006

The Queen was given a peace pipe at a memorial to a Native American chieftain to symbolise the righting of a wrong.

Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, she paid her respects to Mahomet Weyonomon, of the Mohegan tribe, who died of smallpox in London in 1736.

Tribal leaders in traditional regalia blessed a memorial stone in his honour.

Mahomet had travelled from Connecticut to petition George II about the capture of his tribe's land by English settlers but died before he met the king.

Foreigners were barred from being buried in the City of London so his body was interred in an unmarked grave.

'Proper burial'

The Queen and the duke were joined by tribal spiritual leader Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum and other Mohegans wearing deerskin leggings and headdresses made with turkey and eagle feathers at the memorial ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Wednesday.

She was presented with a scroll containing a copy of the original petition and a red stone peace pipe.

Mr Bozsum said: "We are glad that we have given him a proper burial now. "The Queen said she was very pleased, very honoured to see us and have us here. It meant a lot to us. This is the highlight of my life to meet the Queen."

We cannot right past wrongs but we can remember them and transform themVery Rev Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark

The Very Rev Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, gave an address about the significance of the events.

He said: "We are here to dedicate a memorial, to complete an unfinished commission, to remember we share with the people of the United States a story which, like all human conduct, is marked by good and bad.

"We cannot right past wrongs but we can remember them and transform them to inspire better conduct throughout humanity now and in years to come."

The Queen also unveiled a stone sculpture, carved by Peter Randall Page, which stands in the south churchyard.

The five-tonne piece of pink granite came from the tribal reserve in New England. It is customary to name a boulder after a chief who has died.

___________________________Source: Story from BBC NEWShttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6172062.stm

Friday, November 17, 2006

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are set to visit the United States in May of 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement.

This will be Her Majesty’s fourth State Visit to the United States.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh welcomed President and Mrs. Bush on a State Visit to the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in November 2003 – during that visit, Her Majesty paid tribute to the 'special relationship' between the United Kingdom and the United States.

A statement released by the White House read:"Laura and I welcome Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, for a State Visit in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement.

"The United States and the Her Majesty's Realms, including the United Kingdom enjoy an extraordinary friendship that is sustained by deep historical and cultural ties and a commitment to defend freedom around the world. We look forward to Her Majesty's State Visit as an occasion to celebrate these enduring bonds."

The Queen herself mentioned the upcoming visit in this week's Speech from the Throne during the British State Opening of Parliament.

"The Duke of Edinburgh and I look forward to our State Visit to the United States of America in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement."

Virginia officials coordinating the ongoing Jamestown commemoration have scheduled an America's Anniversary Weekend event on and near Jamestown May 11, 12, and 13.

Jamestown, the first English settlement of North America, was established in the name of His Majesty, King James I of England.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Government Leaders reported a significant web presence failure this morning. The Dominion Web Sites were off line for almost 4 hours this morning. Officials were quick to point out that no critical services utilize the web, and that the responsibility for the outage was that of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), Reliable Information Systems.

According to a spokesman for Reliable Information Systems, the Government's ISP, "This outage was caused by a failure of the Florida Power and Light's electric grid servicing our cable systems provider. Our systems themselves remained up and running, but it didn't matter, as the connection to the Internet was severed until Comcast Cable was able to restore service. Once FP&L had power restored, Comcast was able to restore cable service quickly, and we were back in business. We will be looking into the possibility of securing secondary routing to the Internet, but secondary routing is expensive, and we have to take costs into account as well."

Government spokesmen refused to comment on the possibility of the Dominion choosing another ISP in the wake of the recent outage.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Governor-General has made several changes in the Peerage of the Dominion. According to todays surprise announcement in the House of Lords,

Effective Immediately the Viscountcies of Louisiana, Andrews, and Parish are elevated to Earldoms, while the Earldoms of Blade, Creek, and North are reduced to Viscountcies.

The Governor-General announced that these actions were to bring the Titles of Honour in line with the weightiness of the administrative districts.

He further clarified that it does not alter the balance of Earldoms and Viscountcies, nor are any changes made to the extent of the fiefs involved. No changes have been made to Barony borders or titles.

The only Peer currently holding a peerage affected by this change is the Countess Louisiana, until today Viscount of Louisiana. She has been Created Countess Louisiana, Earl of Louisiana from this date.

The creation date of the Lord Rum, until today the only sitting Earl, remains unchanged.

The Governor-General also reassured the Peers that “Your positions on the precedence charts, the esteme of your nation, and in my heart are unchanged.”

Monday, November 13, 2006

YouthBuild International: helping young people from low-income communities to rebuild their neighbourhoods and their lives

13 November 2006

On Thursday 9 November, a meeting to explore areas of linkages between YouthBuild International and CYP was held at the CYP London office.

The meeting was attended by Clayton Peters, Associate Director for International Projects, at YouthBuild International, Cristal Saldanha Stainbank, Youth Development Adviser for CYP, and Diane Mensah-Bonsu, Website Coordinator for CYP.

YouthBuild International is a Boston-based, non-profit organisation that provides technical assistance, training, consultation, capacity-building grants, and other resources to governments, schools, NGOs, and youth groups in the areas of:

In the U.S.A, YouthBuild supports a network of more than 230 independent programmes, and internationally, YouthBuild is engaged with programmes in Bangladesh, Canada, China, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, and the West Bank/Gaza.

In YouthBuild programmes, unemployed, undereducated and socially-excluded young people aged between 16 and 30 create tangible community assets such as housing, community centres, and play areas, while studying to complete secondary school, learning to be leaders in their communities, and getting support to make positive change. Since 1994, 60,000 YouthBuild students in the U.S.A. have built more than 15,000 affordable homes while preparing for jobs and further education.

In the U.S.A., the bulk of YouthBuild programmes are targeted at youth in inner city areas where school dropout rates can be as high as 40% and 50%. YouthBuild programmes reach out to youths who are experiencing multiple challenges ranging from substance abuse, being in conflict with the law, unemployment and poverty.

Hands-on job training is an essential component of the YouthBuild programme, with the physical construction process “being a good metaphor; the programme is about the low-income youth building houses and other infrastructure whilst rebuilding their own lives in the process” said Mr Peters.

Ms de Saldanha, who, before joining CYP, worked for the Johannesburg City Council where she managed community development programmes for marginalised groups, outlined possible areas of linkages between CYP and YouthBuild. She said there was a synergy between YouthBuild’s expertise in Youth Livelihood/Small Business Development, and CYP’s ‘Youth Enterprise and Sustainable Livelihoods’ (YESL) programme. The CYCI Toolkit, a holistic enterprise training and support model, is in the final stages of revision, and therefore opportunities to share materials about successful youth livelihoods models was a tangible area for collaboration. In addition, she explained that the Youth Affairs Division has just appointed a new Director, Dr Fatiha Serour, who has extensive expertise in sustainable livelihoods through her work in UN DESA. CYP YESL’s programme not only promotes employment and enterprise opportunities for young people, but also provides capacity building programmes which make them more employable.

Ms de Saldanha, who oversees the Commonwealth Diploma in Youth Development, explained that Module 11 on ‘Promoting Enterprise and Economic Development’ and Module 13, which focuses on ‘Sustainable Development and Environmental Issues’ were further opportunities, for CYP and YouthBuild to develop collaborative on-line training.

A study of YouthBuild has shown that young people want to be involved in contributing to something constructive to the community, and CYP applauds YouthBuild in that it is able to facilitate that process. The initial meeting between CYP and YouthBuild proved to be a fruitful one, and both organisations will continue to advocate for and contribute to projects that facilitate employment for young people.

For more information, please contact Clayton Peters at cpeters@youthbuild.org

The Imperium of DeWaCo Estates' Ministry Of State Security ( M.O.S.S. ) has established the West-Port Military Academy; which will locate its headquarters at the country crossroads of West Road and Port Road.

West-Port Military Academy has been designed and designated as a "Multi-Military Education Institution"; which will incorporate all four of the divisions of the Ministry Of State Security:

The four military divisions of M.O.S.S. will donate one existing site each, to be developed as an internal infrastructure extention of West-Port Military Academy; which will educate its Cadets in practical applications of military tactics and strategies, with emphasis directed more towards a "hands-on" "field" approach, as oppossed to exclusive traditional classroom course studies alone.

This new Military Institutional Complex will combine, both traditional classroom studies and field studies; with the majority of the studies being dedicated to the latter.

This format of studies will cross-train all members of the Imperial Guard; under the idea that "the left hand knows what the right hand is doing".

The Lord Imperator's nephew, who recently returned from the US Iraq War, will soon pay an extended visit to the Imperium; and will donate a major portion of his free time to instruct Cadets of the newly established West-Port Military Academy.

The New Zealand Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand, unveiled the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner today in London.

Her Majesty told the audience that New Zealanders had written themselves into a special place in the history books.

"Many of them for deeds of exceptional bravery and sacrifice."

"But most of them for simply giving their all in duty, in courage and in dogged determination to fight for peace and freedom from tyranny."

The striking memorial named 'The Southern Stand', commemorates the "strong and enduring" relationship between New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and serve as a focus of remembrance of the shared sacrifice during the two World Wars and other military engagements from the South African War to the present day.

The dedication of the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner featured cultural performances, a fly past of aircraft and famous New Zealanders from the world of sport and music.

The monarch, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and dignitaries from both countries, war veterans and more than 1,500 New Zealanders living and working in Britain.

Among the New Zealand celebrities that attended are former national rugby captain Sean Fitzpatrick, ex-international cricketer Chris Cairns and pop singer Daniel Bedingfield who was born in the country.

Singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn and soprano Hayley Westenra performed during the ceremony.

The $3 million memorial was funded by the New Zealand Government and consists of 16 cross-shaped vertical bronze 'standards' set out in formation across the north east corner of Hyde Park Corner in central London.

Each standard weighs up to 700kg and through text, patterns and small sculptures commemorates the shared sacrifice of British and New Zealand ex-servicemen, while also celebrating the wider social, cultural and economic ties of the two countries.

The event began with a Royal Guard of Honour formed by the largest contingent of New Zealand forces to be seen in the UK since Her Majesty’s Coronation in 1953. Over 250 Army, Navy and Air Force personnel left for London on Sunday 5 November, the contingent comprises of a Royal Guard, Cataflaque Party, Maori Cultural Group and tri-Service Band.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said she hoped it could be a part of London that New Zealanders could always call home.

"It's genesis lay in the desire to commemorate the shared sacrifice of New Zealanders in times of war, alongside the people of Britain," Helen Clark said.

"New Zealand's relationship with Britain dated back to the 18th century, and Captain James Cook's exploration of New Zealand," she said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the link between the two nations was not just historic. "The bonds of friendship between our two countries, remain as strong as ever. Our peoples are close, they come and go between our two countries as much as ever, we invest in each others' economies, we share culture and sport - where friends become rivals."

Designed by architect John Hardwick-Smith and sculptor Paul Dibble the memorial consists of 16 cross-shaped vertical bronze 'standards' set out in formation on a grassy slope. Each standard is adorned with text, patterns and small sculptures. "Through the words and images, any New Zealander visiting the memorial will recognise home, and British people may learn something of the relationship between our two countries," explains Paul Dibble.

"We set the memorial in a position where the main pedestrian route runs through the memorial so that visitors will walk amongst the sculptures, encouraging people to stop and explore. Through the words and images, any New Zealander visiting the memorial will recognise home, and British people may learn something of the relationship between our two countries."

The memorial is located at Hyde Park Corner, diagonally opposite the Australian War Memorial which was completed in 2003.

In October 2004, 12 designs teams were selected from the 68 who submitted expressions of interest. These teams submitted designs for the memorial, and an expert panel, appointed by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, selected the final design. The memorial design is a collaboration between Dibble Art Co and Athfield Architects, led by sculptor Paul Dibble and architect John Hardwick-Smith, with Jon Rennie as the team's London representative.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Government of the Imperium of DeWaCo Estates reports a successful deer Harvest.

A member of the Imperial Family recently communicated that a 10 point buck had been shot in the Imperium's Black Woods, during todays hunting expedition of a party of five individuals; three members of the Imperial Family, and two invited friends.

The buck will processed into various cuts of meat and sausage; with a small portion of the meat products being stored for later use, while the majority of the meat products will be donated to several needy families in the immediate area of the Imperium.

According to other published reports this is not the first time that the Imperial Family has made direct contributions to the welfare of the citizens and neighbors of the Imperium.

The buck's rack will be mounted on the Trophy Wall of the tool barn, along side the other several dozen racks which have been collected over the years by several members of the Imperial Family.

Friday, November 10, 2006

The House of Lords has taken up debate on a 'Standardization Bill' for Government Software. The Bill, sponsored by the Chairman of the House of Lords' Select Committee on Stamps and Stationery, the Baron Von Servers, would prevent the government's purchase or acquisition of 'closed source' software unless no 'open source' alternative could be found.

The 'mandated open source' software debate received international attention earlier this year when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's stated that all word processing packages used by the Government would have to support saving files in the Open Document Format, and international standard used by software from several vendors, including IBM, Sun, and Novell.

The Bill before the House of Lords goes further, mandating that all Government purchased or otherwise acquired software itself be 'Open Source' and international standards compliant. The Dominion would join several other 'less developed nations' in requiring that the government use Open Source products wherever possible.

The bill allows the continued use of 'closed source' software in Government Offices as long as it is able to exchange files and data with the 'Open Source' software supported by the Government. However, those exceptions to the use of the Government's standard, along with the reasons given for the exception would be reported to the Parliament 'from time to time'.

The Bill's Sponsor has been quoted as saying "This isn't about what you run at home, its about what I am expected to support, its about what we as a Government spend the people's Pounds on, and its about ensuring that latter generations have access to our 'government papers.'"

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

His Serene Highness, the Grand Duke Philip I of Westarctica is recovering from a month long battle with pneumonia. All of Westartica, indeed all the world, is glad to see that the Grand Duke has recently recovered sufficiently to return to a limited schedule of State Functions. The Grand Duke has announced his intention to slowly resume a full schedule.

The Grand Duke has expressed his appreciation for those who have held him in their thoughts and prayers during his illness.

The Grand Duchy of Westartica and the Dominion of British West Florida have Coinage Treaty inplace. The 80th Birthday Commemorative Coins were produced under the terms of this Coinage Treaty.

The Grand Duchy's Minister of Affairs, the Lady Lovette, has been handling the day-to-day administration of the Grand Duchy's government during the Grand Duke's Illness.

Monday, November 06, 2006

The Lord Marshall, John Houston, has announced the tentative Schedule for the next State Opening of Parliament.

We anticipate opening Parliament on 12 June 2007, the Tuesday following Her Majesty's Official Birthday. At present we anticipate that the seating of the Common Guests will begin at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. The location within our Capitol City of Pensacola has not yet been finalized, we are currently working with several venues.

The 'Program of Events' will remain basically unchanged for past Openings:

Seating of the Common Guests Seating of the Guests of Honour (This may include the those enrolled in the Honours system, as well as Officials from other Nations) The Procession into Chambers (the Lord Marshall seats first the Members of the House of Commons, then the Lords, then escorts the Governor-General to the head of the Chamber). The Pledge of Allegiance to Her Majesty The Reading of the Throne Speech. The Reading of the First Bill The Motion to Adjourn (no debate today!). The Blessing The Grand Feast.The the Presentation of Awards.The BenedictionThe Lord Marshall escorts the Governor-General from the Chamber.The Lord Marshall informs those remaining that the Governor-General has left the Chamber, and that Parliament is released.

The Lord Marshall would not comment on those selected to offer the Blessing and Benediction prayers. Last year's Blessing of the Meal was offered by the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The Benediction was offered by the Governor-General.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Gentri Billotte, daughter of Lord George Harrison, the Baron of George was selected as second runner up at her school's 'Homecoming Court Pageant”.

The Homecoming Court, a well established tradition, is usually selected by popular vote of the school's senior class, and this year was no exception.

The twelve members of the Court are first selected by each student nominating twelve young ladies for the honour of Homecoming Queen. When these ballots are tabulated, the twelve Ladies receiving the highest number of nominations become the Homecoming Court.

The next step in the selection process is for each of the Seniors to select ONE member of the Court to be Homecoming Queen. The remaining members of the court are assigned 'court honours' according to the number of ballots received.

Friday, November 03, 2006

The Dominion of British West Florida and the Imperium of DeWaCo Estates have exchanged Embassies and Ambassadors, without establishing a mutual recognition treaty. The Right Honourable Thomas Breckenridge, Esquire has been appointed Ambassador to the Imperium. The Imperium has, in turn, posted their Lord Imperator as Ambassador to the Dominion.

The exchange of Ambassadors, withour formal letters of recognition, or any other treaty arrangement marks an apparent change in the foreign policy position of the Government. According to sources with the House of Lords, the new policy is directed at increasing the exchange of ideas through Ambassadors, rather than the static and stale relationship of 'mutual recognition'.

During recent discussions on the matter of mutual recognition with another nation, the Lord Solicitor remarked in the Chamber of the House of Lords that “An Exchange of Ambassadors sounds like a good way to go on this. It allows for better relationships between our Nations, with out the legal overlay of Treaty Relationships.”

A member of the Privy Council, speaking on the condition of anonymity stated that “The new policy does not affect our existing relationships, such as those with the Lateran City State, but we will be working closely with certain nations to establish embassies where we currently have 'recognition' treaties”.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Sir John Ryan, OSB made the following statement in a letter to the Governor-General:

Your Excellency, Robert, Duke of Florida,

Many thanks indeed for your recent communication; both Ms Blair and Iare most honoured by your nation's recognition of our recent work in thefield of Micronational development. We graciously accept this honour,and are proud to join the ranks of your "sons of encouragement".

Due to the distance separating us, it is unlikely that either Ms Blairor I will be able to attend the State Opening and investiture ceremony.Having said that, please provide any available details on the date andformat of the ceremony, and we will confirm whether we can attend ornot.

In the likely event that we are unable to attend, please know that wewill be there in spirit, and will celebrate the Opening (and toast YourExcellency) in a private ceremony here in Melbourne, Australia.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

I am pleased to announce the enrollment of Bridget Blair and John Ryan in the Dominion of British West Florida's Chivalric Honours system as Members of the Order of Saint Barnabas.

The Dominion o f Biritish West Florida honours system, like all Commonwealth honours systems rewards people for merit, service, or bravery.

An honour, decoration or medal is a public way of illustrating that the recipient has done something worthy of recognition.

As the 'fountain of honour' in the Dominion of British West Florida, The Queen has the sole right of conferring all titles of honour, including peerages, life peerages, knighthoods and gallantry awards.

Within the Dominion of British West Florida, the Highest Honours for Bravery are the Heroes' Medals awarded in the Justice, Liberty, and Charity divisions for those who have given their lives in the performance of their Duty.

The Order of the Saint Barnabas represents the highest honour for Merit and Service in the Dominion of British West Florida. The Order honours men and women who have contributed in a particular way to national life.

St. Barnabas, the "Son of Encouragement" is the namesake and Patron Saint of the Order of Honour in the Dominion of British West Florida. We first meet Saint Barnabas in chapter 4 of the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles and then repeatedly in later chapters, as the story of these acts unfolds. He was a Jewish Levite (assistant to the priests) of Cyprus and became one of the earliest Christian disciples at Jerusalem. His original name was Joseph, but he was renamed Barnabas by the Apostles because Luke interpreted the word Barnabas as 'son of encouragement'. One of the first recorded acts of St. Barnabas was to sell some of his property, and use the proceeds to provide support for the Church.

Thus we see that Barnabas was an encouragement in deeds as well as in words. Those appointed to the Order of Saint Barnabas also display this encouragement in both deeds and words.

Anybody can make a recommendation for a worthy person to receive an honour.

The aim is to ensure that the large numbers of people not in the public eye who give valuable service are recognised.

They could be charity volunteers, members of the emergency services or Armed Forces, industrial pioneers or specialists in various professions.

# The Order of Saint Barnabas has the following levels: Sovereign: Her Majesty Elizabeth II# Grand Commander: His Grace, Robert Duke of Florida# Knight Commander: Those who have earned the Dominion's highest recognition.# Knight: Those whose encouragement and support of the Dominion is worthy of special recognition.# Member: Persons whose encouragement of the Dominion of British West Florida are worthy of official recognition.

The Sovereign needs no post nominal letters, the Grand Commander of the order of Saint Barnabas is entitled to the post nominal GSB. The Knight Commanders in the Order use the post nominal CSB, Knights of Saint Barnabas use KSB, and Members in ordinary use OSB.

His Excellency, the Governor-General attendended the Fall Festival at First Baptist Church, Macclenny, American East Florida on Halloween.

"I saw it as an chance to get out and great the people of the former British Colony of East Florida, and perhaps encourage some of them to join us in our efforts to restore the culture of God and Crown."

The Governor-General assisted with Traffic Control (a more dignified term for 'parking lot attendent'), and served the attendees Sweet Tea, Sprite, and Coke.

"I'm accustomed to being in a position where I provide direction, fear of being run-down by a motorists, however, is not part of my normal duties." the Duke of Florida joked, refering to the driver of a Ford Explorer that was uninterested in following His Grace's direction. When conversation turned to the Governor-General, Duke of Florida, GSB serving refreshements, he said: "The drink table is an wonderful place to 'mix' with the group. Everyone seems to come by, most of them several times. I was able to strike a conversation with a local leader in the Baker County Historical Society. We shall have to see what will become of that"